The Last of Us Has a New Trailer, Tweaked Ellie; What's Left of Civilization

We'll get to some context for both this new vid and the minor visual changes to Ellie in a bit, as well as some interesting bits on The Last of Us' story and setting, but first, have a go at that new trailer you see atop the post; it's called The Truck Ambush and, as you'll see, that title is fairly descriptive.

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Now that you're caught up, here's some of the Naughty Dog braintrust from a piece on IGN.

Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us' Creative Director, on the changes to Ellie:

We held numerous casting sessions to ensure we had the right performance capture artist to represent Ellie, eventually selecting actress Ashley Johnson. As we’re still in the midst of development with The Last of Us, the team has been continuing to put a lot of thought into the creation of Ellie. After delving further into the game’s narrative over the past few months, we decided to modify Ellie’s model to better reflect Ashley’s personality, and also resemble a slightly younger teen more fitting to the story. We're happy with the final result shown in the cinematic we have released today, and hope the fans like her too.

Bruce Straley, Game Director of The Last of Us, describing it:

It’s a game about the human condition. 20 years after a plague has decimated our society, how does man survive? When all moral and ethical codes have been stripped, who do you trust? After watching your friends and loved ones pass, do you think you could still love? What is life without hope? We’re trying to make you feel these dilemmas while you’re playing The Last of Us.

Mr. Druckmann on what's left of civilization:

Civilization as we know it in present day has been radically changed after the pandemic. The human population has been decimated and most cities have been abandoned, left to be reclaimed by nature. Now city streets are flooded and covered in moss, vines, and newly grown trees. Quarantine zones were set up by the military as outposts for survivors – a way to escape the ever-growing numbers of infected. Martial law, however, presents its own set of dangers. Citizens are constantly monitored, supplies are scarce, and anyone caught breaking the law is executed. In the world of The Last of Us, safety is a relative term.

Those on the outside must be especially tough to deal with the constant threat of the infected. During their journey Joel and Ellie will meet several factions of survivors that manage to live outside of the Quarantine Zones through different means.

Communication and fast modes of transportation (like flying) quickly disappeared once the outbreak occurred. 20 years later, everyone that is still alive in the U.S. assumes that the rest of the world is in shambles.

Mr. Druckmann with some background on the game's story and setting:

The Infection was quick in driving mass migrations towards Quarantine Zones. While some made it, many failed in their escape. Much of that backstory will be left for the player to piece together between the environmental storytelling and conversations between the characters.

The Quarantine Zones used to be under the centralized control of the military. Over the years most of the Quarantine Zones collapsed leaving many survivors to fend for their own. At the outset of the story Joel and Ellie are in one of the last remaining Quarantine Zones. While it’s still run by the military – this Quarantine Zone has no contact with any of the other Zones.

Each enclave has their own way of procuring food and supplies for survival. So far we’ve talked about the military quarantine zone that forces its citizens into hard labor, producing goods. With this cutscene, we’re revealing a second enclave of hunters – survivors who ambush and kill others for their precious belongings. Joel and Ellie will encounter these and other enclaves and bear witness to their methods of survival.

Mr. Druckmann on the timing of this trailer:

We wanted to whet people’s appetite before E3. This trailer is a nice little teaser that shows a good look into the world of The Last of Us. It also hints at the layers in Joel and Ellie’s relationship and frames their different perspectives on this world.

Also of Note: Ryan Stevens and I discuss Naughty Dog's storytelling chops and compare it to that of Eidos and Square Enix (vis a vis the Tomb Raider reboot) in the next episode of the Side Mission Briefing, due out Thursday.